Steam-power apparatus.



No. 736,579. PATENTEDEAUG. 18,-1903. P. L. CLARK. STEAM POWERAPPARATUS.APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8. 1903. 0 MODEL 25v wig i iii!" m5 ucmms PETERSco. mowumo. wnmua'rou, n. c.

Unrrnn STATES iatented August 18, 1963 ATENT FFIcE.

PHILIPPE LYONS CLARK, OF CHELMSFORD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- TEN'IIITO ALBERT H. OVERMAN, OF CHELMSFORD, ENGLAND.

STEAM-POWER APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,579, dated August18, 1903.

Application filed June 8.1903. berial No- 160,655. (No model) To allwhom if; may concern:

Be it known thatl, PHILIPPE LYoNs CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Barnard llouse, Chelmsford, in the county of Essex, England,have invented a new and useful Improved Stean1Po\\'er Apparatus; and Ido hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and the figures of" reference marked thereon, tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which saiddrawings constitute part oi. this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, ofone form which my improved steam-power apparatus may assume; Fig. 2, adetached broken view in vertical section, illustrating a form of pumpwhich may be used in my improved apparatus; Fig. 3, a broken sectionalview of the generator, showing a superheater for the live steam.

My improved steam-power apparatus relates to that class of inventionsdesigned to utilize the exhaust of steam -power systems by injecting theexhaust thereof back into some part of the power system, and it moreparticularly relates to that branch of the art wherein a supplementaryreservoir for supplying the whole or a part of the working steam to themotor has been interposed between the generator and the motor andwherein one function or the sole function of the generator has been tosupply steam to actuate the injector.

In all prior apparatus of which I am aware of employing an interposedreservoir for the working steam no provision has been made formaintaining a predetermined difference of pressure between the reservoirand the generator. lVithout such provision there must he a congestion ofmass and energy in the reservoir, whereby the pressure therein willattain a height at which injection will become impossible and the systemwill come to a stop. For efficientinjection of this kind it is necessaryto maintain a difference between the generator and reservoir pressuresof at least forty-two per cent. of the generator-pressure, and suchdifference can only be maintained by either discharging steam out of thesystem from the reservoir or transferring it from the reservoir to thegenerator.

The advance which I have made in the art is in establishing such acirculation in the entire system as will maintain a predetermineddifference between the boiler and reservoir pressures at a point whichwill allow of the full utilization of the kinetic energy of the livesteam for the purpose of injecting the exhaust-steam into the reservoir.

The fundamental principle of my invention is the utilization of theinternal energy of the system to effect a constant circulation of theworking fluid throughout the system beginning and ending a cycle at thegenerator. The first essential requirement of this principle is toestablish two distinct steam-pressures in the system and maintain aconstant ratioof difference between them; second, to work the motor fromthe lower of the two pressures and to exhaust it into a suction andcompression device delivering intoa reservoir for the lower pressure;third, to actuate the suction and compression device by utilizing thekinetic energy of a jet of steam flowing at the maximum possiblevelocity of steam spouting against pressure; fourth, to convert thereservoir for the lower pressure into apar: tial condenser by constantlydisturbing the relation of density, temperature, and pressure in themass therein contained, and, fifth, to utilize the tendency tocongestion of energy in said reservoir to transfer the surplus of fluidmass to the generator.

With the end in view of securing the maximum economy in the use of steamand of avoiding the objection above referred to my invention consists ina steam-power apparatus having agenerator, a reservoir, a suction andcompression device interposed between the said generator and reservoir,a motor, means for conveying the exhaust thereof to the said device fromwhich it is introduced into the reservoir by the live steam entering thesaid device from the generator, and means operated by thepressure of thereservoir for com pleting the circulation of the system by transferringsuch portion of the energy and mass in the reservoir to the generator aswill maintain constant such predetermined difference of pressure betweenthe said reservoir and generator as will insure the operation of thesaid device. 1

My invention further consists in a steampower apparatus having certaindetails of construction and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention various forms of apparatus may be used,dependent upon the character of the installation. It will therefore beunderstood that the apparatus shown and described is only illustrativein its character and that my invention is not limited to the use of suchan apparatus, which may be varied in whole or in part, according to thedictation of circumstances.

In carrying out myinvention as herein shown I employ a boiler comprisinga shell 2,

set in a bed 3 and containing tubes 4, all of any approved construction.This boiler I shall hereinafter for convenience refer to as a generator.From this generator a livesteam pipe 5 leads to the high-pressure nozzle6 of a suction and compression device, which also comprises asuction-chamber 7 and a compressing and mixing nozzle 8. This device hasthe general form and characteristicsof an ordinary ejector or injector.The said nozzle 3 is connected with and delivers into a supplementaryreservoir 9 for the working steam which is interposed between-thegenerator and the steam-power engine 10, which may also be of anyapproved construction, dependent, again, upon the circumstances of use.In the claims I shall refer to the engine 10 as a motor.' This engine isfurnished with an ordinary governor 11 and is supplied with aworkingsteam-feed pipe 12, leading to it from the reservoir. This pipe extendsupward toward the top of the reservoir, so as to take the steamtherefrom where it is driest. The exhaust-steam from the engine is ledfrom the exhaust-port of the engine into the exhaust-pipe 13, the mainportion of which is coiled within the reservoir and which is connectedat its other end with the suctionehamber 7 of the injection devicealready described. This pipe is furnished with an exhaust-valve 13 andconstitutes a heater for the exhaust-steam. Within the lower end of thereservoir l locate a pump comprising a steam-cylinder l4 and adelivery-cylinder 15. The said steam-cylinder 14 is supplied with steamby a vertically-arranged supply-pipe 16, extending upward nearly to thetop of the reservoir, Where it takes steam. The said delivery-cylinder15 is furnished with a supplypipe 18, arranged to take its supply at ornear the bottom of the reservoir. A delivery-pipe 19 leads from thecylinderto the generator at a point below the water-level thereof and isfurnished with a back -pressure valve 20. This delivery-pipe constituteswhat may be called the circulating feed-pipe between the reservoir andthe generator. An exhaustpipe 21 leads from the steam-cylinder 14 of thepump to the main exhaust-pipe 13, alread y mentioned, and is furnishedwith a valve 22. The steam-cylinder 14 and the delivery-cylinder 15,together with their connections, may be taken as conventionalrepresentations of the pump, the internal construction of which may ormay not correspond to the construction shown in section by Fig. 2, whichrepresents such a pump as may be used in this situation, though it mustbe understood that I do not limit myself to this construction or anyspecial form of pump in the prosecution of my improved process.

The piston 23 and the piston 24 are attached to the opposite ends of apiston-rod 25, furnished with an arm 26, carrying a sleeve 27, slidingupon the valve-rod 28, at the opposite ends of which the valves 29 and30 are located. The said sleeve 27 is furnished at its opposite endswith smaller sliding sleeves 3i and 32, flanged at their inner ends andadapted to slide within the sleeve 27. These smaller sleeves arenormally held at the limit of their outward movement by means of acompression-spring 33, located partly within the sleeve 27 and partlywithout them. WVhen the piston-rod 25 moves from left to right, thesliding sleeve 32 engages with a collar 34, mounted upon the valve-rod,and is pushed inward into the sleeve 27, whereby the spring 33 iscompressed. As the valve-rod is moved to the right anantifriction-roller 35, carried by the said arm 26, rides under andlifts the trigger-dog 36, engaging with the collar 34 until the dog iscleared from the collar, at which time the force of the spring moves thevalve-rod 28 from left to right and operates the valves 29 and 30. Atthe same time the dog 36 falls into position behind the collar 34. Nowwhen the piston-rod 25 moves from right to left the sleeve 31 engageswith the collar 34 and is pressed inward into th e sleeve 27 and thespring 33 placed under compression. As the valve-rod is moved to theleft the antifriction-roller 35 engages with the trigger-dog 36 andlifts the same, so as to release the collar 34, at which time the powerof the spring 33 moves the valve-rod from right to left and reverses thevalves 29 and 30.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the cylinders 14 and 15 of thepump are both in the nature of the steam-cylinders of an ordinaryslide-valve engine and that the valves 29 and 30 are operated by atrigger-gear set to trip at the end of a full stroke of the pistons,thus doing away with any cut-off or possibility of expansion of themotive fluid. The head against which the pump is designed to work is apostive constant element. The pressure to be utilized upon both pistonsof IOC IIO

the pump must be a positive pressure through which would admit of theexpansion of the actuating fluid in the cylinders would militate againstthe action of the pump and destroy its efficiency. The ratio of thecylinders must be such that the pump can only work against the desiredhead when the full pressure in the reservoir is exerted in bothcylinders and so that it will then work with sufficient speed tomaintain the head constant. Each stroke of the pump must increase thepressure against which it is working and reduce the pressure which isactuating it. Under these conditions there cannot be expansion in thecylinders, and either water or steam can be forced into the generator.The pistons 14: and 15 are proportioned to deliver either water orsteam, or both, into and against the pressure in the generator wheneverany excess of energy in the reservoir causes a tendency to reduce thedifference desired to be maintained between the pressure within thegenerator and the reservoir. In other words, the function of the pump isto maintain a given difference in pressure between the reservoir and thegenerator, which is the characteristiclfeature of my improved apparatus.The excess of energy in the reservoir instead of reducing the head byincreasing the pressure therein actuates the pump and transfers enoughfluid mass and energy to the generator to maintain the normal orpredetermined difference of pressure representing the equilibrium of theapparatus. This function of the pump might, of course, be performed bysome forms of steam-traps, which are, in effect pumps, though notcommonly so designated.

Having now described one form of my improved apparatus, I will proceedto describe the operation thereof. In the first place, it must beunderstood that whatever the form of the apparatus it will beconstructed with reference to maintaining a constant ratio of differenceof pressure in the generator and reservoir by circulating a portion ofthe fluid mass and energy from the generator to the reservoir and fromthe reservoir back to the generator. Unless such difference of pressureis maintained conjestion will follow, injection will stop, and thenecessary circulation of the system will come to an end. Steam is madein the generator and the reservoir loaded to the pressure at which theengine is to be worked by delivering the steam from the generatorthrough the injector into the reservoir. The engine exhaust-valve 13 isnow opened and the engine started in the usual way. After actuating thepiston of the engine 10 the steam passes into the exhaustpipe 13 and isheated in its passage through the coil of the pipe by the steamsurrounding the same in the reservoir. This heated exhaust-steam is thendrawn into and enters the suction-chamber '7 of the injector, where itmeets the jet of live steam on its way from the generator to thereservoir. It is picked up, so to speak, by this jet of live steam andcompressed and commingled therewith in the compressing and mixing nozzle8, from which it is delivered into the reservoir. The fluid mass in thereservoir will now be increased by the incoming live steam from thegenerator, but the ratio of volume and energy of this steam to thevolume and energy of the eXhaust-steamfrom the engine is such that theenergy and temperature in the reservoir are not increased in the sameratio as the mass, and therefore the natural relation of density,pressure, and temperature having been disturbed condensation takes placein the reservoir until the natural relation of saturated steam incontact with its water again prevails. The total energy of the mass isnow slightly increased as well as the volume of water, and the volume ofsteam is correspondingly decreased. It may be here remarked that thecombination of reservoir, pump, and generator is of the nature of acylinder having a piston loaded to maintain a constant pressure in thecylinder, the reservoir representing the cylinder, in which a constantpressure is to be maintained, the pressure in the generator representingthe load, and the pistons of the pump representing the loaded piston.The areas of the pistons of the pump being proportioned to work againsta certain maximunrhead and that head being the difference which it isdesired to maintain between the pressures of the generator andreservoir, any tendency to a reduction of such head by a lowering of thegeneratorpressure or by raising of the reservoir-pressure is instantlycounteracted by the action of the pump in transferring enough energyfrom the lower pressure of the reservoir to the higher pressure of thegenerator to maintain the desired difference between them.

lVith this explanation it will be understood It will be seen from theforegoing descrip-,

tion that my apparatus provides for such a constant circulation of theworking fluid through the entire system as will maintain constant apredetermined difference beginning and ending the cycle with thegenerator and making good at thefurnace-fire such energy as shallhaveheen converted to external work or otherwise extracted'from thesystem during the cycle.

The lower the temperature of the exhauststeam when brought in contact inthe injector with the live steam the less the efficiency of theinjector. llence before delivering the steam used.

steam to the injector I raise its temperature. I provide for this in theapparatus shown by forming the exhaust-steam pipe into a large coillocated within the reservoir. In passing through this coil theexhaust-steam is raised to the temperature of the reservoir, or thetemperature of the exhaust-steam may be increased in some other wayas,for instance, in a heater located in the furnace or flue of thegenerator. This heater for the exhauststeam may either revivify orsuperheat the same, dependent upon the amount of satura tion and thetemperature of the heater. Therefore in the sense in which I use theword heater I intend to cover superheating as well as heating. Theefficiency of the injector may'also be increased by superheating theinjection-steam, thereby increasing the efficiency of the injector tothe extent of the superheatwithout increasing the weight of In Fig. 3 ofthe drawings I have shown one section 5 of such a superheater as I mayuse, the same being connected with the back end of the boiler, where itcan be heated by the waste gases of the furnace. The weight ofhigh-pressure steam for injection should transfer to the reservoir onlysufficient energy to make good the heat units converted into work by theengine and by the pump, returned to the generator by the pump, and lostby radiation, L%G. Condensation in the reservoir will then constantlyequal the weight of steam passing from the generator to the reservoirand will be as constantly returned to the generator. With a greaterWeight of steam used for injection, the condensation will be incompleteand some steam will require to be pumped thence to the generator. Whereexcessive fluctuations of load and speed are to be provided for I mayconnect a number of small injectors to a common exhaust-chamber andautomatically increase or diminish the number of jets in use asrequired.

It is not essential that all of the energy shall be conserved by myapparatus, which is valuable in proportion as the energy conservedthereby exceeds that expended thereon.

As stated at the outset of this description, the apparatus herein shownand described has been chosen for the disclosure of my invention, whichis not limited to the use of apparatus of this particular form. Thusinstead of operating the steam-cylinder 14 by steam taken from thereservoir through the pipe 16 I may take the steam required directlyfrom the generator instead of from the reservoir. The arrangement of apipe for this purpose is too obvious to require illustration. Again,instead of exhausting the pump to the injecting device it may under somecircumstances be expedient to exhaust or temporarily exhaust to theatmosphere or to a condenser. I would. therefore have it understood thatI do not limit myself to the particular apparatus herein shown, but holdmyself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fallwithin the spirit andscope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed between the saidgenerator and reservoir, a motor, means for conveying the exhaustthereof to the said device from which it is introduced into thereservoir by the live steam entering the said device from the generator,and transferring means operated by the pressure of the reservoir forcompleting the'circulation of the system.

2. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed between the saidgenerator and reservoir, a motor, means for heating the exhaust of themotor and conveying such heated exhaust to the said device from which itis introduced into the reservoir by the live steam entering the saiddevice from the generator, and transferring means operated by thepressure of the reservoir for completing the circulation of the system.

3. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed between the saidgenerator and reservoir, a motor, an exhaust-pipe connecting the saidmotor and device and passing through the reservoir, for the heating ofthe exhaust, which is introduced into the reservoir by the live steamentering the said device from the generator, and transferring meansoperated 'by the pressure of the reservoir for completing thecirculation of the system.

4. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed between the saidgenerator and reservoir, a motor, an exhaust-pipe leading from the motorto the said device and comprising a coil located within the reservoirfor heating the exhaust which is introduced into the reservoir from thesaid device by live steam entering the said device from the generator,and transferring means operated by the pressure of the reservoir forcompleting the circulation of the system.

5. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed .be-

tween the said generator and reservoir, a motor, means for conveying theexhaust thereof to the said device with which it is introduced into thereservoir by live steam entering the said device from the generator, andtransferring means located within the reservoir and operated by thepressure thereof for completing the circulation of the system.

6. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed be- IIC tween thesaid generator and reservoir, a motor, means for conveying the exhaustthereof to the said device from which it is introduced into thereservoir by live steam entering the said device from the generator, anda pump operated by the pressure of the reservoir for completing thecirculation of the system.

7. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suc-.

tion and compression device interposed between the said generator andreservoir, a motor, means for conveying the exhaust thereof to the saiddevice from which it is introduced into the reservoir by live steamentering the said device from the generator, a pump operated by thepressure of the reservoir for completing the circulation of the system.

S. In a steam-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, of areservoir, a suction and compression device interposed between the saidgenerator and reservoir, a motor, means for conveying the exhaustthereof to the said device from which it is introduced into thereservoir by live steam e11- tering the said device from the generator,and

a double-cylinder pump located in the circuit between the generator andreservoir and having apiston-rod common to both pistons, the said pumpbeing constructed and proportioned with respect to maintaining apredetermined difference of pressure between the generator and thereservoir.

9. In a steain-power apparatus, the combination with a generator, ofmeans for superheating the steam generated thereby, a suction andcompression device interposed between the said generator and reservoir,a motor, means for conveying the exhaust thereof to the said device fromwhich it is introduced into the reservoir by live steam entering thesaid device from the generator, and transferring means operated by thepressure of the reservoir for completing the cirlation of the system.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

PHILIPPE LYONS CLARK.

Vitnesses:

VIRGINIA IInss, R. W. G. WELLING.

